She's Armed He's Dangerous
by TheWritersAccomplice
Summary: A bunch of One-Shots!  Each person we pass on the street, or sit next to on the train has their own story too.
1. Chapter 1  Epiphany

He strode into the precinct and tried to pretend like it was any other normal day, attempting to ignore the somewhat epiphany he had the night before. It was the one reason he barley slept that night and spent the majority of it staring at the ceiling in deep thought.

Castle had realized something; and although he couldn't tell anyone why or how he had come across his realization, he could only wish he fully understood it sooner. Because now he had to do something about it, it couldn't just be left alone.

So here he was his normal two coffees in hand, heading towards her desk surrounded by numerous other officers who worked in the homicide department, but he could only seem to see her among the busy floor. Nothing new there.

He could tell from the way she was standing with her back to him she was relaxed, ready to put this case to rest. She had one hand resting at her chin the other on her hip, in deep thought staring at the murder board behind her desk.

As Castle got closer to her, it seemed his throat was closing up on him and his stomach felt weak, leaving him feeling breathless. Which was odd; he'd made this walk to her desk countless times before without falter. Then again, he had an epiphany of sorts.

When he finally reached his destination being her desk, he briskly set down the two coffees and started towards her. She at last acknowledged his presence when she turned and smiled at him.

"Hey Castle. We've managed to get a lead on that one suspect from the Manhattan area..." her words began to slow, a slight frown of question appearing on her face as she watched her partner come closer to her with the strangest look on his face and showed no sign of stopping.

Before she could even begin to question him, Castle had placed one hand on her back the other on the side of her face, pulled her close and kissed her as eagerly and gently as he could. To his pleasant surprise, she didn't stop him; she only gave into it, allowing her hands to settle onto his chest.

Both could tell and feel it wasn't weird or awkward, just... right. For the brief moments their lips touched, it made them realize so much they had been missing and so much they could have. All that Castle could hope for was that she saw it now too.

It didn't seem to matter all of a sudden that they just stepped over a huge line both were so utterly terrified to cross. Not to mention in such a public wide open space where people had stopped and stared with open mouths.

As soon as they pulled apart, everything became darker... and then Castle opened his eyes.

Here he was looking at the ceiling again. How did that happen? That's when he clued in to the alarm blaring to wake him up. He tossed his feet out of the warmness of his sheets and turned it off.

He sat at the edge of the bed, a slight smirk reaching his face as he was thankful he remembered what he dreamed of last night. It was then quickly replaced with one of concern. "Damn," he muttered to himself, rubbing his face with both his hands, "It's gonna be a long day."

With that he got up and began to get ready to head over to the precinct.


	2. Chapter 2 Losing Your Memory

_So, for my second chapter here I decided to do a song-inspired story!_

**_(Losing Your Memory - Ryan Star) *Go ahead and search up the song! It's great!*_**

_Let me know what you think of it and be sure to tell me to never attempt another song-inspired fic again! :P Or you could even suggest a song I could use to base a chapter on._

_As usual songs, shows, and characters belong to the individuals who created them or own them... legally._

_Enjoy! =)_

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><p>Of her five senses, the first that registered was her hearing. The slow but steady low beeping sound was surrounding her as well as a low murmur of voices far off in the distance. The second was the sense of smell, although there wasn't much to the smell, nothing other than the piercing alcoholic, antiseptics filling the air. After that she could taste; and it wasn't at all pleasant, it the taste in your mouth you often got after you slept uncomfortably on the couch for a night.<p>

All of these observations had her curious as to where she was, so she opened her eyes allowing her fourth sense to kick in. There were white walls all around her, with light peach curtains covering most of them.

_Oh God._ She thought, as a sickening feeling rushed over her. _I'm in a hospital, a god damned hospital!_

Within seconds, a doctor appeared at the end of her bed "Ah, Miss. Beckett. It appears you're awake now. How are you feeling?" He asked.

_Hmm, good question_, she thought. Since she made the discovery of her bearings, she was yet to complete a self-assessment on her body. After a few moments she came to her conclusion, "Sore."

The doctor smiled lightly to himself as he came around to the side of her bed to check all the monitors of the machines she was hooked up to. "Well, that would be slightly expected…" he trailed off as he pushed a few buttons on the pad. Realization suddenly dawned on him "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself, I'm Doctor Neilson and we've looking after you for the fast few days." With that he put his attention to the files he had in his hands and wrote a few notes down.

She couldn't handle it anymore, "I'm sorry doctor but," her voice starting shaking, "who- what did you call me?"

He stopped writing, then slowly raised his head. "I called you by your last name." He stated simply.

_Beckett?... Beckett, Beckett! Beckett_ she thought over and over again. But it held no meaning to her. She wanted to yell, cry and scream out in frustration, but she was so scared she couldn't seem to find her voice.

Dr. Neilson carried on talking, "Katherine Beckett is your name."

The first half of what he said was ringing no bells in her head either, and very quickly she felt her heart in her throat and a stinging in her eyes.

"I need to you to tell me if you can remember how you got here, or what your last memory was…" he trailed off. But she stopped listening to him because she already knew she had forgotten.

"Kate!" She looked up to see a man carrying a coffee and jacket in hand nearing her bed, he looked so happy and relieved to see her. He all but dropped everything he was holding in his hands as he rushed over to her. "Oh my God, Kate you're awake!"

The doctor soon realized the type of situation that was about to be presented, so he did his best to step in and prevent it.

He stood in front of the man, "Sir I must warn you, she just woke up and seems to have no recollection as to who she is or…" Is all she could hear the doctor say. She quickly shut her eyes and wished for the scenario to change, she didn't want to put people through this pain by not knowing who they were. She felt so bad and sorry, and she had no idea who he was.

By the time she opened her eyes again, the man that had arrived looked much different from the first moment she saw him. He looked defeated, lost, and in a word miserable. But as soon they made eye contact, he gave her a small smile, nodded to the doctor in understanding, and waited until the doctor reluctantly left her room before he took a seat in a chair by her bed.

With the grim smile on his face he shuffled his chair closer to her bed so a conversation would be easier, "Hi, I'm Rick Castle".

She lay on the hospital bed for a moment thinking, "Kate Beckett." She said unsure, testing the name out for the first time. She suddenly felt much more calm.

The man smiled like he had the first time, and gently placed his hand in hers and gave it a small shake in a 'nice to meet you gesture'. With his hand now touching her own, she felt her heart clench in her chest, and her breath hitch slightly.

That's when she realized her fifth sense had finally woken up.

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><p><em>As I mentioned above, feel free to tell me to never do something like this again ;)<em>

_Thanks so much for reading! It really means a lot to me you guys!_

_P.S. The first episode was brilliant! :D_


	3. Chapter 3 That Awkward Moment

**_Alright here goes the next chapter! It took a while for me to be somewhat satisfied with this chapter._**

**_(Clearly since it took so long for me to update, and for that I apologize. It's impossible to put me on deadlines, _**

**_which is why I simply keep to one-shots!)_**

**_*Nothing below that line belongs to me*_**

**_With that, please enjoy my boredom haha!_**

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><p>It was late one Thursday night at the precinct with not a single cop lurking around on the homicide floor of the 12th. Castle and Beckett were – somewhat – patiently waiting for the arrival of the remainder of their team to bring back a signed warrant for their suspect's apartment. (Castle was, again, trying to let Beckett teach him how to play Angry Birds on his phone).<p>

Ryan and Esposito had called back about twenty minutes ago and told them they were headed back with the legal documents in hand; and were expected any minute.

"I'm going to need a cup of coffee so I can drive back home tonight in one piece" Beckett mumbled mostly to herself as she got up out of her chair and headed in the direction of the break room.

"But detective," Castle objected that sly, charming smile beginning to spread across his face, "You could simply let me drive!" He quickly stood up and followed her.

She pretended to think about his offer as they both walked through the break room door, "Hmmm I could, but I think we both know who wears the 'pants' in this relationship Castle."

Her response caused his eyes to open much wider than normal. "Did you really just use the words pants and relationship in the same sentence Detective?"

All she could do was turn her head to him and smirk as picked up her mug and began to move smoothly through the process of making some more coffee for them both.

Castle's phone then chimed announcing that he had received a text, so he fished his phone back out of his pocket, quickly totally immersed on the screen in front of him. In fact he was so engaged with his phone, he didn't register that Beckett had pulled open the bottom drawer under the counter to grab some more coffee filters.

"Hmmm," Castle chuckled slightly, "Look here at what Alexis just sent me." He turned to face her, and began to take small steps so she could see the phone, oblivious to the open drawer at foot level.

"Castle, watch out the…!" was all she could get out before his feet caught and the remainder of his body came propelling towards her. They both instinctively reached out to catch the other by the upper arms as he came colliding into her, both totally unprepared.

The next instinct that kicked in, was one that took her breath away. In mid-fall Castle managed to twist around so he was no longer going to fall on her. He however thought nothing of it that kind of reaction was just the natural thing to do.

The end result was her being sprawled halfway across his body, faces in such close proximity they were practically breathing the same air. The only thing either of them could do was freeze in the position they had just fallen into staring at each other's faces, neither one daring to make the first move.

She had never been in this close of proximity to her partner before, _Well_, she thought, _except that time we kissed in the…. Wait no! Not right now, not while you're on top of him Kate!_ She cursed herself silently.

But she also realised something else in that moment; Castle would protect her. Castle would put himself in harm's way to make sure she was safe. He would look after. Always. Like he promised.

She wasn't sure if that scared her to death or made her feel… _loved_ more.

Suddenly a chorus of "Oh my god!" and "Not on the floor!" were being yelled from the doorway from a certain pair of detectives. It was of course needless to say that all hell broke loose seconds after.

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><p><em><strong>Go ahead and click that little yellow and blue button down there?... Just so I know you read it? :D<strong>_

_**Thank you SOO very much for reading!**_


	4. Chapter 4 The Sleepover

**I really kinda enjoyed writing this chapter (YAY). Oh and I suppose I should not that yes there are *spoilers in this one for episode 3x17 Countdown!* So with that said I'll continue: **

**I really enjoyed writing this one m****ainly for one large, important reason. I find that people tend to forget Beckett's little confession (almost) that consisted of three little words, and instead more emphasis is put on Castle's. I think people often forget what she was about to say.**

**Also I would really like to give a HUGE shout out to each and every person who has read, alerted, favorited and reviewed the story thus far! I can't begin to explain how loved it truly makes me feel! Thank you!**

**With that I give you chapter 4!**

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><p>They had it planned at least a week in advance; Beckett could hardly remember anymore. She simply set a reminder in her phone; there was no way she could remember plans she rarely had for over a hard week at work. And a hard week it was indeed, the 'Iron Gates' had decided to excessively stress the points of correct protocol to the whole homicide floor, had been loaded with more paper work than normal and she had been shot at more times than she cared to count.<p>

Beckett had arrived at Lanie's around seven and she barely had time to breathe for the rest of the night, yet she couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun with one of her best friends, talking laughing, watching terrible TV till the wee hours of the morning.

When 7 in the morning rolled around, the two girls could be found passed out on top of Lanie's bed in her room, TV still on, as Lanie's phone buzzed. The medical examiner being the light sleeper she was, awoke from the sound to find a text message from none other than a particular detective.

She reached across to the bed side table to grab her cell, _**Hey Chica how goes the girls night? ;)**_

As sweet, and as thoughtful the message might've been, she had only gotten 2 hours of sleep so far, it was far too early to be texting someone who had one hell of a fun/busy night, and Esposito knew she was a light sleeper.

As she was about to type out a reply to his message, when a slight grumble came from Kate sleeping beside her, while it was completely incoherent she seemed to be having a wonderful dream. A smile graced Kate's lips for a moment, and Lanie was able to clearly make out what her friend said.

"Castle."

Lanie's eyes bulged, and her head whipped around to peer down at her friend. Castle. _Castle?_ Did she really just say that? Before she could even answer her own question, she had the most wicked idea and smile plastered onto her face.

She quickly exited the messaging system on her phone and found the video recording app she had downloaded on a whim one day. She quickly counted her lucky stars for that decision she made.

In seconds, Lanie had the camera pointed at her friend, whose mumbles had gotten louder, and more coherent.

"Hmmm, shhhh kay Castle… just shhhh." Kate mumbled at a strange kind of calm washed over her face as the words spilled from her mouth. "You're right …. we found the bomb, we were just too late m'kay?"

The confusion continued to grow for Lanie, mostly because none of this seemed to make any sense to her whatsoever.

"Castle." She practically whispered, making hard to hear anything. "Thank you… for being there."

Kate smiled, "Hmmm, I just want you to know how much I love you."

At this point in time Lanie was having a difficult time picking her jaw off the floor and not dropping the camera. After a few more seconds of stillness from Kate, she cut the recording and triple checked to make sure it was saved to the phone. Deciding that wasn't good enough she emailed a copy to herself.

Lanie could not believe it! This was good. No. This was better than good, it was revolutionary in fact. She was going to have a serious talk with her girl about this. It wasn't just something you kept hidden up deep in your heart, and it was time for her to see that.

_Besides_, she thought, _Kate loves it when there's solid evidence._

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><p><strong>I sort of feel I should be updating you guys a little .!<strong>

**I DO have a two parter in the works, so that can really mean one thing; cliffy. I'll try to post this not too far apart from eachother.**

**If ANYONE has any suggestions of any sort, please please share! I Love it when you do.**

****Also I would really like to give a HUGE shout out to each and every person who has read, alerted, favorited and reviewed the story thus far! I can't begin to explain how loved it truly makes me feel! Thank you!****


	5. Chapter 5 The Game

**Well, this is by far my favourite chapter I've written. Mostly because it was a TON of fun to write (when I was supposed to be studying). So I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did writing it. I got the idea a while back after I was playing the game of Twister.**

*****If any of you don't know this game, you might wanna search up the rules so you can understand this story. (don't worry its easy)****

**With that said, I wish I owned this, but I don't...**

**...and enjoy!**

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><p>Kate Beckett wasn't entirely sure how she had gotten into this particular position. Figuratively and… literally speaking.<p>

She also wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to kill or thank the person who had suggested that the group do this after going out for drinks. Although it was ridiculously fun, it was somewhat childish. (Based on that conclusion she figured Castle must've had something to do with it.)

She was sure of one thing however; she was not going to lose this game of Twister.

Right now Lanie, Ryan, Esposito, Castle and herself were in the middle of Castle's living room – once all the furniture had been pushed aside to make space - playing a team game. A classic girls against the guys.

Ryan sat on the nearest couch, spinning board in hand and began to call out directions for the game. "Right foot red."

Beckett, Lanie, Esposito and Castle all stepped onto the mat accordingly.

Ryan then quickly spun it again, "Left hand green!"

"Oh come on bro" Esposito complained as the four players moved to put their hands on the colored circle, "you already trying to kill us?"

Castle shot him a death glare "I swear if you let us lose to the girls…"

"Then you will never hear the end of it" Lanie finished for him smirking.

"Right hand yellow guys. Honestly though, I've got my money on Espo being the first out." Ryan commented from the couch.

As all the players moved their hands to the circles, Lanie moved her hand onto the one most convenient for Esposito, forcing him to twist under her arm just to get to the nearest spot.

Watching the game from the other end of the mat, "I'm on board with you Ryan, 20 on us winning!" Kate joked.

"Right foot yellow"

As soon as the words were out of Ryan's mouth, Castle threw his foot to the circle that Beckett would've taken, forcing her to bend her leg over and around his arm to get to the next circle.

She looked over at him a playful glare on her face. His response was to quickly raise his eyebrows and smirk right back at her, "you detective, are going down."

"Hmmm well I have a little secret for you Castle."

"Right hand green." Ryan called out.

"I _never _lose."

As the four players moved their hands again to the new spot on the mat, both Castle and Beckett went for the same circle, hands touching. She realized it was warm, so comforting to touch and unexpected she froze for a moment and her breathe caught – and no! She snapped herself out of it, moving her hand away from her partners to a new spot.

Kate was not about to let herself get caught up in his eyes or charm or anything else. Now was not the time. Later maybe, but not now…

It was at that moment that she heard a loud thud from the other end of the mat. Castle and Beckett looked over to see which of the other two players had fallen.

"You tripped me!" Esposito complained, his back on the floor looking over at a very smug Lanie.

"No, I just made it difficult for you honey!" she shot back still smiling over at him.

"Come on man, over here," Ryan patted the couch "I'll even let you spin the board!" he mocked.

Esposito grumbled something about how medical examiners couldn't be trusted as he picked himself off the floor and made his way over to his partner on the couch.

Lanie took a glance over at Kate and winked.

_That's right_, she thought, _I never lose._

The game went on for several more minutes, with several close calls for the remaining players before Castle managed to leave Lanie with only one option of placing her foot on the other side of the mat. It was impossible and she too ended up sprawled on the ground. Esposito and Castle shared a brief 'feed the birds' moment before Ryan spun the board again.

With only Castle and Beckett left in the middle of floor, it was needless to say there were cheers coming from the sidelines for their respecting team.

"Girl, I need you to get 'em back for me, you hear?" Lanie told her from the kitchen. She had taken advantage of the fact Castle was engaged in a game where he couldn't move so she could search for wherever he stored his wine.

"Yeah Lanie, I'm working on it." She grumbled back in response. Over the past couple turns, Castle had managed to slowly trap her in a corner of the mat, forcing her to move into positions she honestly didn't care too much for.

"Castle when this is over, I swear I'm gonna make you pay for what you're putting me through right now." She huffed as she struggled to keep her left foot on the blue circle.

"Hmmm. Now tell me, exactly_ how_ would you like this payment to be fulfilled?" he shot at her, quickly staring her up and down, a confident yet teasing smirk on his face.

Beckett gritted her teeth "Oh trust me Castle. I'm working on it right now."

"C'mon Castle, I need you to win this for us man, don't let the girl take ya out!" Esposito encouraged from the couch watching eagerly.

"Left foot green!" Ryan called out as Lanie returned from the kitchen, successful with her search.

_Yes! _She thought_, Left foot gets to move now! Finally, it took long-_

But her small victory was cut short when she realized something. She was backed up into the corner of the mat. The nearest green circle was all the way on the other side of Castle. That was his plan the whole time. To trap me.

_Damn._

She quickly began to assess the situation. She was currently balanced somewhat with her right side close to the mat and Castle was easily balanced with his stomach to the ceiling on all fours. There was barely any space to sneak her left leg underneath him with risking a fall. She could – oh no.

Beckett took a deep breath. She wasn't entirely sure how she had gotten into this particular position. Figuratively and… literally speaking. She had to make a decision. Win or lose. She chose win.

Without another second to second guess herself, she swiftly threw her left leg over Castle's body, her foot landing squarely on the green spot. She was now directly over him, one leg on either side of his body, close enough to smell him, close enough to maybe-hopefully-take him down.

Her pulse began to race at the close proximity to him, especially in such an intimate way with their bodies almost touching. She could look into his eyes and see…the same thing? Her arms supporting her began to shake with that knowledge, and she wondered if making this move was such a great idea in the first place. She didn't take into account that they would both be affected… like this.

Being this close to him, she saw his breathing change and become more rapid. She saw that his stable position on the floor was quickly becoming shaky. Clearly he didn't think she would make this move.

She also failed to take into account the three other occupants of the room, all of them either scrambling desperately for a camera, or laughing/cheering loudly as they could.

_Oh god_, Castle thought, _she's right here, like this, over… me_. He gulped trying to supress the urge to reach out and simply touch her. It was unbearable. _Somebody had better turn the board or else… _He didn't want to think about what would happen if he had to stay like this and not do anything.

Well of course he did, just not with all these people here.

With the boldness of Kate's move, Ryan, Lanie and Esposito had all failed to continue on with the game and spin the board for the next move.

"Hey ummm, Ryan we gonna keep playing here?" Castle asked nervously, praying he could manage to hold himself up until both him and Beckett had to move.

"Nah. I'd say the two of you look pretty comfortable there." Ryan commented, trying to hold back his laughter, the other two beside him currently having a similar problem.

Kate tried to hold back the blush that quickly consumed her face. But she was in it to win it. There was no backing down now. With that she moved a few inches closer down towards Castle.

"Come on Rick," she purred. "Aren't you comfortable?"

Castle's chest clenched so hard he was positive he couldn't breathe for a moment. _Oh no she did _not_ just use my name like that… _He squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his arms completely give out from under him, and his body slid down to the floor.

"Yes!" Lanie squealed from the couch as Beckett slowly stood over Castle smiling down at him. After a moment she took pity and offered him a hand up.

"Told you I never lose."

After the unforgettable victory for the girls, one final game, and a glass of wine for everyone, the guests within the Castle household slowly made their way out.

Ryan was off to return home to his wife first, followed by Lanie and Esposito who were going to just 'share a cab', and then Beckett. After wishing all his guests a goodnight and a safe ride home he took a moment to think about the events of the night.

If anyone had asked who had won, Kate would've said she did. However if you asked Castle, it was really a win for them both – in a way.

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><p><strong>thanks for reading you guys =)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6 Confessions From The Heart I

**First off, I really would like to talk the time to thank all of those who have added this collection of small stories to their alerts. Seriously you guys made me happy when you all responded to this =) Thank You. Also, to every single person who has reviewed and left a comment, again it makes me thrilled to know I can help with boredom, stress, or the need for something Castle related, hehe. ;)**

**Secondly, I am proud to announce that this IS indeed the little two-parter I had planned. I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to make this into two separate parts; but maybe it was that I wanted more suspense? **

**Thirdly, I don't own Castle. If I did, I'm sure there would be some legal issues concerning me writing fanfiction in the first place. **

**With that, please enjoy PART I**

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><p>"<em>Oh God"<em> He thought, _"Here goes attempt number two…"_ He didn't know why he was so nervous, okay maybe he was aware of the fact he was about to tell Kate Beckett for the second time in his life that he loved her. No big deal.

But it's not like he knew this day would never come; he knew it was inevitable. He knew he had to tell her again, not because he truly meant it, but because he needed her to actually hear it this time. He needed _her_ to know.

"_I need to know, that she knows that I 100% mean it when I…"_ He silently cursed himself, _"Focus Richard!" _

He stopped walking, grasping her wrist to stop her momentum too. She turned and gave him a smile and a questioning look. And there they were, standing with the January snow falling around them, the only light provided coming from street lamps and the occasional car going down the street.

He wasn't exactly sure why he had chosen this moment, but really was it better than any other? Besides, if life had taught him anything, it was that you didn't know how much time you had.

"Castle." She said, making him realize he hadn't said anything since he grasped her wrist; But then again, she hadn't pulled away. That was a good sign.

"Kate." He countered, steering the conversation into personal waters. She seemed to sense this too because a dark look passed over her face, if only for a moment, he saw it before she replaced it with the same look she had on it before.

He started off slow, "You remember when you told me about that wall you had built up. And how it was… holding you back?"

Her only response was to nod slightly, eyes trying to show that she had no clue where he was going with this.

"Well, then… this may be utterly selfish of me to step over this imaginary line here, but I'm so sick of not living each day the way I want to. Or at least I'm not trying to. And it's just not right. If there is anything life has taught me, it's that the unexpected happens and it's too short to live without regrets."

Kate knew where exactly he was going with this, and as the realization of that dawned on her, her stomach felt queasy and as if her breath had been taken away. Unconsciously she had now grasped his hand back, holding on tight not daring to let go.

"So before either of us get caught in another building that explodes, or a freezer, or shot at or god forbid lightning strikes us down, I need you to know that I need you. I've come so many times to not being around you anymore and it's made me realise how, ridiculous I am for not saying anything…sooner."

As he spoke, the words tumbling down upon her, Kate could practically feel the last little bit of the wall being torn down. That must've been the breathless feeling in her chest. Yes. That's what it is!

"Kate," He somehow forced her to look right into his eyes that held nothing but pure honesty – she could clearly see it, "I am deeply in love with you."

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><p><em><strong>to be continued...<strong>_

**And of course I will stop Part I there.**

**I promise you all that Part II will be here within in the week! I just have a few things I want to go over and tweak before I post it.**

**In the mean time, leave a review and take care =)**


	7. Chapter 7 Confessions From The Heart II

**Alright, so here is the part 2! In a small way, this is sort of how I would like this to be addressed on the show. (The whole resolution of feelings towards one another deal.) However at the same time, I love whatever the writers and producers of this show do, and so I will leave the fate of Caskett in their capable hands :P**

****There are spoilers for 3x24 and 4x01 slightly in this one****

**Anything you recognize here, is not mine; it all belongs to the show!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>Previously...<em>

_"Kate," He somehow forced her to look right into his eyes that held nothing but pure honesty – she could clearly see it, "I am deeply in love with you."_

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><p>She could hardly stop the small gasp that escaped her lips, the sudden aching in her chest, even though she saw it coming the moment he stopped her, even though she'd already hear him say it before.<p>

So there it was, out in the open; this time with no excuses, nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. It was officially time to deal with those words. To deal with those feelings.

Without breaking the eye contact they held so preciously, she took a deep breath feeling the chill of the bitter cold air enter her lungs, "I know" she barely whispered, terrified to know his response; fearing it would be anger.

But his reaction wasn't one of anger…or hate, or even much surprise for that matter.

His only response was to nod his head slightly, "You heard" he muttered. Suddenly this conversation was being spoken in the softest of tones; perhaps because they were both terrified since they had been here before. Never opening discussed something that could so easily break them.

It was her turn to barely nod her head now. Of course he knew that she knew… this was Castle, he always had an explanation for things. Always paying attention. It's why she lov-

"But Rick," At this moment she took a step closer and desperately reached for his other hand, "I need you to understand that I was not at all in the right place to deal with that when I was still in the hospital – mentally or physically. I'm so sorry I didn't call for the whole summer and that I had to put you through that-"

He took another half step closer, silencing her mid-sentence, "Kate, we had this conversation already." she heard him say. It was hard to focus since she was just close enough to feel the heat from his body in the winter night. "And yes I do understand why you pretended to not hear me. It may have taken me some time to realize that you did in fact hear me, but I get that you were trying to protect yourself. I understand you were going through so much – physically, and emotionally. It was far too much of me to ask you to deal with that when I first saw you at the hospital."

Castle stopped talking giving her a moment to…reply or say anything. She pursed her lips and momentarily broke eye contact when she looked down. After a few moments of silence she looked back to him.

"I have only one question" she started, with hope in her eyes.

"I'll tell you anything" He vowed.

Suddenly she went back to whispering, like she was keeping a secret, "Did you mean it?"

What she said nearly brought tears to his eyes. She had to know this was about more than just the books… she _had_ to know! There was a deeper meaning for him staying around. They were far past the point about it being just about the books and research.

He sighed and smiled, almost painfully she realized, "Oh Kate. What will it take to make you truly believe that I do? If I didn't mean it, then why am I still here?" He took another half step closer to her, their hands still held together, "I'm here for you, no matter what we-"

But the rest of the writers words never left his mouth as the detective silenced him with her own, her lips eagerly searching for his, as if they were the only way to her survival. She let go of their joined hands only to close the remaining distance between their bodies, the warmth of each other in the cold night invigorating as he wrapped his arms around her.

His lips were so soft against hers and yet so eager at the same time, almost trying to make up for lost time. It was not very long before she tilted her head and pressed up further to deepen their kiss, or before he lightly dragged his tongue across her bottom lip; a small gasp escaping her mouth as he did so. As they both reluctantly pulled back from each other, in an attempt to remember to breathe, he didn't go very far, only to place a delicate kiss on her cheek. For reasons she could not explain it sent a marvelous shiver through her whole body. Perhaps her that was the reason she was the first one to speak.

"I love you." She murmured in response to his words nearly eight months before.

He pulled back a few inches to look in her eyes, wondering if he had heard actually heard her say it, or his imagination was beginning to betray him. He couldn't believe it did she really just say that?

"Say it again." He whispered to her, his warm breath washing over her face.

She leaned back in to regain the inches he had just taken away. She was so close to him when she spoke, her lips brushed right into his, smiling all the while, "I love you."

He swore he was never going to let go. He had fought too long for this.

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><p><strong>Ta-Dah!<strong>

**Please leave your thoughts =) they mean so very much!**

**Thank you for reading, and sticking through with the story thus far!**

**I've gotten a BUNCH of inspiration lately, so I'll post some more soon.**


	8. Chapter 8 Bound

**Kay so, honestly I came up with the idea of this chapter all the way back in the summer, before Cuffed even came out. **

**The writers stole my idea. **

**No really. **

**They did.**

**...(I can go with that story right?)**

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><p>"Alright let me get this straight." Castle paused for a moment to take a quick mental checklist of the situation. "We are currently trapped and tied up in our murder suspect's basement…"<p>

"So it would seem." Beckett replied, sarcasm thick in her words.

"With no means to escape, no weapon, cell phones or anything that could aid us," He continued on, oblivious to just how many buttons of Beckett's he was pushing at the moment. "And not a single person knows where either of us are."

"Congratulations Sherlock, just want to figure the part where we get out of here?" The two of them were currently tied by their wrists back to back on opposite sides of a metal beam from the floor to the ceiling, tied around the beam by their wrists. Beckett was attempting to wiggle and twist her hands out of the intricate knots, but with Castle's hands not entirely sure what they were doing, it was next to impossible to sneak out of them.

The team had just been assigned a new case that morning, and started off as a simple robbing gone bad. However every corner they turned a new lead with new information and suspects had been laid out for them. Esposito and Ryan had left a bit after the end of their normal shift, Castle and Beckett had stayed behind in hopes of getting results from CSU back that night so they could scope out the lead it provided in the morning.

Of course one thing had led to another and here they were, stuck with no way out. Without second's hesitation Castle turned his head to look at her, his teasing on full force. "But detective, what if I simply wanted to stay here and spend more time with you?"

Beckett turned her head then to glare at him, their faces much closer than normal "If you intend to spend _any_ time with me in the near future, I suggest we work on a plan."

"As you wish" he smirked right back to her. "Maybe, if we managed to stand up, rather than sitting on the floor, we could get untied easier?" He offered hopefully.

Beckett mentally slapped herself,_ Urrghh, why didn't I think of that?_

"Okay we'll give it a shot."

Giving it a shot turned out to be harder than either of them anticipated. Since their hands were bound tightly together with not a lot of give in the rope, it was hard to move it up along the beam. It took several minutes of pushing, tugging, some minor rope burn, and a whining author before they were able to stand with their arms at a normal level. Then dragging their bodies upward were also another story.

With their last final attempts to stand up, they were both breathing heavy, slightly exhausted from the hard work that, in all honesty got them practically nowhere. "See," Castle huffed a little out of breath "No problem!"

"Mhmm…" Becket murmured, barely even paying attention to him and she began moving her hands about the beam, blindly attempting to undo the knots.

"Hey you could try –" Castle began.

"Shhh! I'm trying to focus." There was wiggling of her hands next to his.

"But I could help –

"Nah not another word Castle, and_ do not_ move… I swear I just about got it" Beckett warned him.

After about a minute of Beckett moving around behind him, Castle couldn't take it anymore.

"I think you got me – hey!" Beckett's hand reached out of nowhere and abruptly smacked his hand to silence him.

"If you want to get out of here, then I suggest you zip it Castle." More wiggling as he felt her hands brush against his. He instantly committed the soft feeling of her hand to his memory. He didn't want to forget it. With a heavy sigh, he pushed the beautiful thought away from his mind and did what he should've done several minutes before.

He loosely shook his hands that were behind him, and the ropes that had once help him tight fell to the ground. Castle then walked around to the other side of the beam to look at his partner.

The look that was on her face at the moment wasn't quite one that he made sure he would remember. Beckett was angry. She stared him down with a pointed look, and the phrase_, if looks could kill _flew through the writers mind. She still had both her hands bound behind her and he could tell she was much less than impressed that he managed to get out before her.

"Castle." She spoke his name almost as a question, challenging him to reply.

"Beckett." He answered back a smile on his face. He was somewhat happy that for once, she was not totally in control; it was driving her crazy. And he was loving it. And why wouldn't he? Here he had Kate Beckett, NYPD in front of him still tied up to a beam.

"How the hell did you get out of that?" Kate asked with pure disbelief in her voice.

"Honestly?" Castle asked as he hooked he hands behind him and rolled up onto his toes.

Her only answer was to stare him down, a mixed look of hate and envy.

This made his smile only widen. "You did it. The whole time you were trying to get it undone, you must've been working on the ropes that held me, because truthfully I did nothing. Like I was told."

"Well kudos to me." She muttered sarcastically. "Care to return the favour?" She shook her ropes to emphasise her point.

"Why Detective…" he paused, pretending to be surprised, "are you in need of my assistance?"

_Oh boy, oh no no no, oh god no._ Beckett could see where this was going. And in every scenario that was running through her mind it did not end well…for herself. Castle was going to take advantage of this, and there was nothing she could possibly do.

She sighed and put on her most fake happy face she could muster "Oh yes Castle! Please do help me."

At this point he crossed his arms in front of him, and frowned, "Now Beckett, why don't I believe you?"

The pretend happiness quickly vanished. "Oh come on Castle! Whoever put us here could come back any moment, now get me untied! Now is not the time to be fooling around!"

"Hmmm well then will you do me a favour and let me know when it _is_ time to fool around?" He asked hopefully, as he raised his eyebrows suggestively. He was still pushing her buttons, he knew it. He was also glad she was being physically held back from him or else she would've had him in a super massive ear pull. And man, did those hurt!

Her only response was to narrow her eyes further, daring him to continue on with his little game here.

His was to slowly start pacing in front of her. "You know Beckett," He wondered aloud to her, never letting his eyes wonder from her form, "There seems to be a price to pay for someone in your particular – position lets say."

She hardly had time to roll her eyes at his ridiculous antics before she incredulously found herself agreeing to his terms, whatever they may be. "Yeah yeah okay whatever I'll pay up, just untie me!"

He stopped his pacing back and forth and turned his body towards her. He hadn't expected her to give in so easily, or quickly. "Seriously?"

"Seriously!"

Suddenly his eyes darkened, and a lazy half smile appeared on his face. He took a small step towards her.

"Alright detective, then I'll take my payment now. Before I decide to be generous enough to untie you."

The _'Oh no, oh god no'_ moment was returning again. She watched him take another step closer to her, from the cold metal beam at her back. Red flags were mentally going up everywhere. There was a very special line the two of them had, and she didn't want either of them to cross it. Yet, here he was doing what she did not want him to do – again.

"You see Kate," His voice dropped to a lower volume than before, almost like a whisper, "all I would like from you is a bit of honesty." Her mind managed to register that he was getting closer to where she stood with every word he spoke. Funny, it's what he had been doing for the past few years since they had known each other.

He was now only a couple of feet away from her now. "I need you to…tell me something,"

"Of course." She tried to nonchalantly shrug, her eyes flickering between his eyes and lips, very aware of how close he had gotten, how their conversation started to be spoken as a whisper, how her heart was beating out of control in her chest. But this was her key, the only way out of these ropes. It was his game and she had to play it with him.

He closed the distance between them remarkably quickly. His face was now so tantalizingly close to hers, his entire body in such a close proximity she wished she was out of her bonds so she could either push him away or pull him closer. She wasn't sure which. "All I want to know," he mumbled softly, his breath dancing over her face, "Is if you think we could-"

The door at the top of the stairs in the basement banged open, following by a chorus of menacing yells of "NYPD!" and a flood of light into the dark room. Among the voices, Ryan and Esposito could be heard.

But before any of them came tumbling down the stairs and where in eyesight, Castle was already behind her, hands rapidly fumbling with the course rope at her wrists. "We're over here boys!" He called out to them, letting them know there was no danger.

As the white light made its way down the stairs, all Beckett could truly think about was the reassurance of the warm hands that were currently trying to free her, keep her safe, happy. She told herself to remember the feeling, no matter the cost.

Ryan and Esposito came jogging over to them just as Castle finished with the last knot in the ropes.

"You guys alright?" They both asked in unison.

Castle and Beckett both started at the two detectives dressed in their Kevlar's, giving them incredulous looks for a moment. "You practiced that didn't you?" Castle muttered sarcastically.

"We're fine." Beckett truthfully told them, glancing over at Castle, only to find him looking right back at her with a similar look that held his face before the rest of the cops showed up.

Once the place had been looked over, statements were made, and more investigating continued, the team eventually managed to find their suspect making a run for it at JFK a few hours later.

It was now 6 in the morning and neither writer nor detective had gotten a bit of sleep since the night before. Gates told her team they had the day off considering the consequences and unexpected events of the night before.

Castle came wondering back to Beckett's desk, yawning widely as he dumped himself into the chair that always remained beside her desk. She looked over at him, amazed he was still here. "We just finished getting his confession signed, I think you can head home now Castle."

"Trying to get rid of me so soon?" He mocked disbelief and hurt.

She leaned towards him just an inch, "Of course." She winked quickly and moved back to the position she had been sitting in before.

A few moments passed before Castle broke the silence again.

"So I never really got that payment Beckett…" he mused trying to make the situation awkward for her.

She pursed her lips and tried to fight the slight blush that was crawling up her neck. "As I recall, you willingly helped me out of those ropes. I owe you nothing now." She really tried not to look over at him, but eventually gave in. All she could see was a down to earth smile on his face and honest eyes.

"Touché. But all I really had was a simple question. And since I was such a gentlemen and got you untied, you could do me the great pleasure of answering it for me." He offered innocently.

_Oh damn him and his way with words_… she thought somewhat bitterly.

"Okay fine." She gave in, willingly playing his game this time. She leaned back into her chair, anxiety building up, not knowing what he was going to say.

He raised his eyebrows, again caught off guard at her quickness to give into things today. He made a show of looking at his watch and took a visible deep breath. "Well now that it is… exactly 6:09 in the morning, it would be ridiculous to ask you if you wanted to go out for dinner, so how does breakfast sound?" He paused for a quick moment before all the words came tumbling out of his mouth at an alarmingly quick rate. "I know this amazing little diner in the city, and they have the best breakfast items you could imagine, and I know you're tired from being up for so long, but I swear it's worth it, and I will even –"

She silenced him by placing her hand on his knee. He looked down and almost did a double take before looking her in the eyes - _he was cute when he was flustered, _she thought.

"Breakfast sounds nice Rick." She smiled over at him as she reached behind her to grab her coat.

It took every ounce of his willpower to make sure his mouth didn't hang wide open, let out a victorious yell, or do a happy dance; because technically speaking she agreed to go out with him. So instead he carried a composed cover over to the elevator and out of the building with her by his side. Just where he wanted her.

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><p><strong>I got carried away with this chapter, it wasn't how I thought it was going to turn out when I began it.<strong>

**So please let me know what you think!**

**Thanks for Reading! =)**


	9. Chapter 9 Pandora

**There I was…. Bored out of my mind in English class when I was supposed to be writing my essay when all of a sudden, it hit me! **

**Well, I was actually reminiscing about the amazing episode last night, and how absolutely epic it was, but we don't need to get technical here. (But no really that was just such a great episode. Way up there on the favourite list!) Then I thought about the promo I saw for the two-parter and how stunning it looks! **

**So I suppose you could say this is where the idea defiantly came from, and I would be kinda thrilled if this really did happen ;)**

**So spoilers for 4x15****

**Let me know what you think of it please! Enjoy!**

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><p>"Castle!" She yelled moments before the front of the car hit the surface of the Hudson River. Panic and worry was thick in her voice. She dully noticed that he had yelled something – probably her name – to her too.<p>

As the car broke the surface of the calm water, their bodies were flung forwards at the sudden impact. Beckett's seatbelt dug deep into her chest and stomach, knocking the wind out of her along with the feeling of a brutal punch to the stomach.

Castle wasn't so lucky.

He wasn't wearing his.

With nothing to brace him and hold him back except for the death grip he had on his seat, the hard impact sent him hurtling forwards at the dashboard. His head was the first thing to come into contact with the windshield with a ton of force. Somehow, moments after they hit and the car slowed from the density of the water, the water began to fill the floor of the vehicle.

Beckett was instantly filled with terror for the both of them – again. The wicked forces of nature were at it once more; throwing everything they had at the both of them. Explosions, guns, freezers, serial killers, bombs, more guns… If anything things were not getting easier for the two of them.

Beckett was about to turn to him and ask if he was okay, but the words died before they could be spoken. He was slumped forwards on the dashboard, dark red blood matted on the side of his head from the hit; he was knocked unconscious.

_No!_ She thought, as her heart plummeted in her body.

She quickly undid her seatbelt, and began to crawl over to her partner in the uneven car, water already sloshing around her knees. When she got to him she instantly reached for the sides of his face.

"Castle!" She yelled at him, shaking his face trying to wake him up.

Nothing.

This was by far the scariest moment of her life, here she was; in a sinking car, quickly filling with water, holding the face of the man she loved – and that revelation scared her even more. She couldn't lose him. At that moment she swore to herself that she wasn't getting out of this car without him.

"Rick, wake up now, I need you to wake up now! Please Rick, please…" Kate only became more and more terrified as the water nearly reached her hips…. And he couldn't hear her.

She began to frantically run her hands over his face, hoping it would bring him to consciousness. But still nothing. She could hardly register that the tears streaming down her face was not the cold water that was rushing in all around them.

Kate desperately shook his face again, "No Rick! I need you… now wake up! I'm not going anywhere without you. Please!" she pleaded to him as her throat closed up in panic and her chest swelled in terror.

So she did the only she really wanted to; she pressed her lips to his and pulled his face close to hers. She moved her lips over his, kissing him thoroughly, reaching every corner of his unresponsive lips. She pressed her mouth to his with enough pressure hoping to bring him back to consciousness, so he could live, see his daughter again, continue to be with her at the precinct, so he could write another bestseller… so he could kiss her back with as much passion she was just now.

She pulled back a moment only to whisper, "Please Rick, I'm not going anywhere." Before she kissed him one final time, with hopefully enough force to wake him up.

When she felt a pair of pair of eyelashes flutter against her cheek, she knew she made the right decision.

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><p><strong>Alright, I would like to take the remaining space down her to gush about how great last night's episode was. It was amazing… beautiful, clever, and brilliant! I simply can't come up with enough adjectives to describe it. Did you guys love it as much as I did?<strong>

**Also let me know what you thought of this chapter!**

**Thanks so much for reading :D**


	10. Chapter 10 Confessions & PTSD

**A/N: So now that my biology notes have a very wonderful _100-word drabble_ in them, I learned these are not very easy to write! I want to thank each individual for following this story and adding to your alerts. Thank you all for reading so VERY much!**

***Spoilers for 3x24*****

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><p>"Kate, there is a new prescription that came out for treating PTSD, and so far it's been fairly successful. It's completely up to you if you want to give it a shot. However it's been known to tamper with one's memory of the traumatic event." Dr. Burke told her.<p>

Instantly she thought back…

"_Don't leave me please, Kate… I love you, I love you Kate."_

She smiled lightly to herself at the memory, "No I'm good." She wanted to hold onto those memories – painful as they were – she didn't want to forget. At least until she heard those words again.

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><p><strong>Also Happy 3rd Castle Anniversary Everyone!<strong>


	11. Chapter 11 A Fight

**ABC needs to get their shit together and release their list of renewed shows. Like Now. Please. Seriously. It's killing me. I need to know. Thanks =) **

**On the 22****nd**** I'm leaving to visit Europe for 10 days, and I'm praying that I'll have new inspiration and ideas to write about when I return. Super excited! I wish you all the best while I'm gone! **

**And really this is the most angst-y thing I've ever written I think o.0 So I'm not really sure where it came from because I normally write about bunnies and rainbows and lollipops (sorta) so let me know how you liked it! And it's some more much needed Beckett/Lanie time!**

**Disclaimer: In Marlowe We Trust (not me… I wouldn't have a clue…)**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Never in all the years she had been a cop, in all the years she had been working the homicide floor, never had it been this difficult to walk through the double doors to the morgue. And that was kind of saying something.<p>

She had that kind of nervous feeling you would get right before you had to speak in front a crowd of people, with a strange bit of guilt twisted within it. Her palms were clammy, stomach clenched, quickened heart rate – she was subconsciously aware of it all.

She was trying to keep her objective at the front of her mind. Get in, make it true, honest and easy, get out. Easy.

But it wasn't as simple as she wished it to be. The reason for her presence was not one related to her work. No, it was because of a fight. And out of all the fights she had fought in her lifetime, this was one of 'em that struck home; in a bittersweet gut wrenching way.

It was also one of those fights you had where you couldn't even remember how it had begun – only how you felt when it ended.

"_Lets make this easy, okay? That man loves you Kate, you hear me, he_ loves _you. Simple as that!"_

"_Yeah well what about you an Esposito? Every time you guys get close enough to having a strong relationship, you get too scared of the commitment, like it's gonna-"_

"_Oh no, you did not just go there!" Lanie seethed, stunned her friend would even speak those words and go down this path, "This is coming from the girl who is a god damn professional at running and hiding from her feelings! Out of all the people in this room Kate, you're the one who's acting like a coward about it."_

_At this point tears were welling up in Kate's eyes. Maybe it was because hearing the truth hurt. Or maybe because she knew she had to hear it. But she kept on fighting her point, in a strange attempt to justify herself._

"_Of all the people I know, no – of all the people I trust, I would expect you to understand what I've been through. That maybe you would get it that I've been to hell and back a few times! So that maybe that's the reason I'm a little scared, that it's the reason it's hard for me to commit."_

_Lanie stared back at her for a moment, fire in her eyes. The look topped all others Lanie had ever shot her way. Suddenly her voice was like a course whisper. "God Kate, just please be honest with me here! I just don't get why you keep denying yourself the happiness you want and need."_

_Kate had heard these words a few too many time. From her father, her old boss, co-workers, now her best friend, and –_ him…

She wasn't sure how she was moving forwards; she could barely feel her legs at all. Her body was just on overdrive, leaving her mind racing to catch up. Her heels were clicking down the hall towards the doors, betraying her and giving away her position to the enemy. Okay… a little exaggeration there, maybe not the enemy; but this woman had caused her enough grief over the last three days to late her for a long while. Regardless, the sound of her heels and her heartbeat is all that dragged her onwards.

She knew that while ignorance may be bliss, there was no way things could stay like this, the way they had been since the last time she saw her friend. Words could hurt, and right now words were the only thing that had a hope in hell of healing the two of them. An apology? Maybe. An apology and some down to earth honesty? It might do the trick. The truth had been something Lanie was trying to squeeze from her friend ever since… well forever.

_The fact than Lanie was suddenly so calm with her previous statement only made her anger worse, she was in a fight and she wasn't about to suddenly quite. "You know I wonder if anyone has even stopped to think for a second and wonder 'Oh, maybe she is happy. Maybe I should just leave her be.' Frankly they haven't thought that far yet! Because all I ever seem to hear is that I deserve happiness. Lanie I'm sick of it!"_

"_Bullshit you're happy! I know you're not; at this point you're just content and while it might deceive you and look like happiness, lemme tell you that there is so very much more for you if you just open your damn eyes and see it!" Lanie held her arms protectively across her chest, crossed together tightly with her lips pursed and she didn't dare to blink and allow tears to flow down her face. She would give anything to make her best friend see this right now._

Right as she was about to throw her hands out in front of her to push the door open and make a dramatic entrance, she realized she didn't have a game plan. She didn't know what she was going to say to her friend after their fight. It had been days since the incident – she could hardly even remember what they were fighting about. Lies. She did, and she was fully aware it was about the current status of their relationships. It was all she had thought about.

A strong sense of ambivalence hung over her as she was about to walk through the door. On the other side was her friend that would help her, hold her up, and make sure she made it through things. The same person was clearly more than willing to give her a kick in the ass when she needed it.

_Kate felt like she was posing control – this entire conversation was not in her favor and was rapidly spinning out of control. She hated it. She had to gain some ground, make her friend see some sense. _

"_Lanie… You guys had something, I mean you actually, truly had something. And it seemed perfect – for the both of you. And you gave up on it so easily. You tossed it to the side when it was questioned. You need to stand up and fight for it! You are both so much stronger than that. Believe me I see that. Lanie, don't you miss him?"_

"_Don't you love him?" Lanie fired back in a heartbeat._

Knowing she had to get this over and done with, she pushed open the doors and stepped into the brightly lit room. She saw her friend instantly as she looked up from her notepad and made eye contact. Her gut clenched and her heart shot into her throat. Kate felt terrible about it – all of it. Every word she said and how she walked out on her friend. She didn't mean it.

_Her words nearly made her heat stop. It was the first time someone had ever asked her that question so…directly. It felt like someone had just stepped onto her own sacred land. A little piece of her that was reserved only for herself and the entirely of that question and everything that went along with it._

_Kate finally broke eye contact and found a new fascination with the fabric of her shirt. She pursed her lips, and willed herself to be anywhere but here. And she could be. Kate looked back up at her friend one last moment before she abruptly turned and marched straight out of the room without another word._

She walked across the room, not speaking a word, until she stood directly in front of her and held her arms out in the offering of a hug. Barely a second passed before Lanie discarded whatever she was absorbed in and accepted the hug, holding her friend tight to her.

They both knew they were okay. Worse things could happen. Silly fights like this could be forgiven.

They stood like that for an immeasurable amount of time. Defiantly one for the record books anyway.

"Only will the two of us fight about guys when we're not even _with_ them." Lanie mumbled into her shoulder.

It was impossible not to laugh at her friend's insight.

"Well maybe we should do something about that then, huh?"

"Damn girl you better be talking about the 'not being with them' part." She laughed back still holding on tight.

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><p><strong>Thanks so much for all of you have been following along since chapter one, and those who are catching up now!<strong>

**Your reviews and alerts make me a Happy Panda ;)**

**So thanks again!**


	12. Chapter 12 Give Me a Clue

**Alright Yeah I'm alive. I know I know, it has been forever and you all probably forgot about this small little story. I want to apologize first of all – it's been a rough few months for me and I haven't had… the will to write (I'll leave it at that.) **

**And second of all I want to see how you guys are all doing with the hiatus right now? It's killing me, but we're halfway through now and I think we're down to 58 days? Still too far away. I'm not even gonna try to go spoiler free this time around haha. **

**Anyways it was nice to dust off these files on my computer and give them a read-over with fresh eyes, and thank you to anyone who is still here with me!**

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><p>"Well," Castle mused as he stretched his arms out in front of him, "May the best writer win!"<p>

"Seriously?" Beckett asked incredulously taken back by the overconfidence he held within himself "You do realize what you're doing right? What you're about to get yourself into?"

Castle placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "Oh I believe I do _Detective_. Besides I'll have you know I used to be the ultimate, super champion of such game. And need I remind you it is my _job_ to make and solve mysteries? "

Beckett stared and raised an eyebrow, "Wow imagine that… me too!"

"All I'm saying is that I've got a bit of an advantage here."

"I think you can hardly call it an advantage when we both do the same thing Castle. Besides if either of us technically have an advantage here, it's me. I don't _plan_ out crimes, I actually _solve_ them." She scoffed in her own defense.

"How about we're even?" He offered her.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared him down, pretending to contemplate his suggestion. Finally, she pursed her lips and nodded her head briskly.

"Looks like you've finally met your match then." He stated as he slightly leaned forwards to her and winked.

Her heart skipped a beat and did another one of those strange, flippy things. Again.

"You have no idea."

With that, they began the first moves of the 'Classic Detective Game' – Clue.

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><p><strong>You guys are spectacular to still be here with me, I adore each of you :)<strong>


	13. Chapter 13 Trenchcoat and Divorce Papers

**Yay I actually updated this. You guys should be proud of me. Really. You should be. I could _never_ do a full on story because of my terrible updating habits. (mostly because I have no habits regarding updating whatsoever)**

****I suppose there's minor spoilers for 3x17 in this one****

**Soooo, this one's different. I'll leave it at that. ;)**

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><p>I walked out of the drycleaners with my 2500$ red Burberry trench coat wrapped safety away in a few layers of plastic. Not that it would really do any good. It was a complete waste of fabric now. It had been somewhat salvageable when a vanilla latte had been spilt on the collar last week in a meeting, but after the asshole that ran this joint got his grimy paws on it, the affected area had turned a lighter pinkish color. Clearly visible even to a blind man. I was sure to personally let the man know exactly where and how to replace my precious piece of merchandise he had completely ruined. Of course the weasel defended himself by going on about how the store wasn't responsible and was not legally able to reimburse any customers for clothing – or some gibber jabber like that. I was furious. I ought to march right back in there and demand….<p>

The display in the street stopped me dead in my tracks. Partly because it stuck out like a sore thumb, but mainly because it was so, intense. Right by the sidewalk there was a black van parked with both of its back doors propped wide open, but because of my angle I couldn't quite see what was inside. Standing, staring into the back of the van were a man and a woman holding hands for dear life.

I watched as the tall man with gorgeous dark brown hair dropped what looked like a handful of multi-colored string or rope to the pavement in amazement. The woman that was damn lucky to be holding his hand was beautiful too. Maybe she was his girlfriend, they looked fabulous together. Her wavy brown hair reached past her shoulders and the navy blue trench coat she was wearing was practically built for her body. The craziest part however, was that these two people both looked shocked and extremely overwhelmed.

A few short moments after the cords or ropes or whatever fell to the ground, I could vaguely hear the woman say something before they both desperately threw their arms around one another and held on tight. They looked like they didn't want to let go, as if they were so happy to be right there in the other's arms. _Oh yes_, I thought, _defiantly together _as I heard gasps of undeniable laughter.

Still rooted to the spot, I continued to watch the display before me – why was beyond me. I had much more time efficient things to be doing other than watch some dopey in love young couple laugh in the street. But still I stood determined to watch. Really I ought to be ashamed for standing watching like this.

The man in the blue coat, rubbed his hands over his face in relief and proceeded to do a small double fist pump, while screaming 'YES!' at the van. What in the _world_?... This was _not_ normal. The man then fiercely pointed at the back of the van as if he had just beaten it in a game scrabble. The young woman began to laugh at his ridiculousness and in all honesty who wouldn't? The strangest part was that they looked so relieved and so happy, and so in love; absolutely enthralled to be standing there in each other's presence. But from where I was, I couldn't see a ring on –

A sudden call from further down the street snapped me out of my ridiculous staring, "Mrs. Wilson!" Flustered, I looked over and saw Drew, the young driver that our family had hired standing next to an open door to the black car. Finally he had gotten here. I took one last look over at the couple with a slight pang of jealousy as I walked over to the black car and slipped into the open door.

"Try Ms. Rolland, Drew. I need you to take me straight over to Alfred's work – I'm serving him these divorce papers right away."

Without any hesitation the young man shut the door behind me, raced around to the driver's side, got in and pulled out onto 11th, leaving all that I had witnessed far behind.

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><p><strong>I told you it would be different. Now as I'm typing in my comments at the bottom here, I'm a little scared... what did you think of it? Go ahead and behonest. Or just let me know how your day went... either works!<strong>

**Thanks for reading guys it makes my day, truly! :)**


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